1. Field
The disclosure of the present patent application relates to gripping instruments, and particularly to bifurcated forceps having two pairs of pincer arms pivotally attached to each other so that they may be collapsed together to function as a single forceps or rotated to separate the pairs in order to simultaneously grip an elongated or broad object with forceps at two spaced apart locations using a single hand to operate the forceps.
2. Description of the Related Art
Common forceps are designed to have a single pair of pincer arms, which extend from a rear connection point and terminate at the same relative position. This allows for an object to be gripped between the terminal ends of each pincer arm. Generally the terminal end of each pincer arm includes a fine point or pad or a serrated jaw to allow for delicate manipulation or firm gripping of objects. The terminal ends can be of any shape or size. Further, the terminal ends may have different gripping geometry to allow for gripping difficult or slippery objects. Common applications for these types of forceps include but are not limited to medical gripping, sport fishing, and cosmetics. However, if an instance arises where an object must be gripped at two locations, such as for stabilization of tissue, a second set of forceps must be used, which requires a second hand, which may be from the first user or from another individual.
Forceps have been designed which bifurcate the terminal ends into two sets of gripping points, which results in four terminal points from a common attachment point. The terminal ends are designed to contact in pairs such that upon the user pinching the device together, the two pairs of terminal ends contact the respective mate, allowing for two points of gripping. The primary downside to this design is that the sets of terminal ends are fixed in distance relative to each other, and usually are not spread very far apart. If a situation arises where a wider or shallower gripping distance is required, a different set of forceps would be required.
Thus, a bifurcated forceps solving the aforementioned problems is desired.